Carolina First Bank Counterfeit Checks in Circulation

"Carolina First Bank, Greenville, South Carolina, has contacted the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to report that counterfeit checks bearing the bank's name are in circulation. The counterfeit items are associated with a lottery scam and are accompanied by a letter purportedly sent by the 'Bonanza 2000 Australian International Lotto,' which is being mailed from Canada.

The counterfeit items include the routing number 053902197, which is assigned to Carolina First Bank, and are similar to authentic checks. On the counterfeit items, 'THE SOUTH | FINANCIAL GROUP' is displayed on two lines in the top-left corner and is followed by 'CAROLINA FIRST BANK, A Subsidiary of The SouthFinancial Group,' which has no space between the words 'South' and 'Financial.' A toll-free telephone number, which is not associated with the bank, is shown beneath the bank address."

Even with the easy access of the internet, it looks like old-fashioned paper based frauds are still being perpetrated.